trying till I get it right

Gluten Free Doughnuts

We have lots of traditions in our house. One of my favorite is homemade doughnuts when school is canceled because of bad weather (i.e.: SNOW!). Living in the South means we don’t get a whole lot of snow days. As a result, doughnuts are also made to celebrate some holidays such as Valentine’s Day (heart shaped) or St. Patrick’s Day (shamrock shaped). My youngest has been known to request homemade doughnuts rather than a birthday cake! Okay, so maybe it’s not the tradition I love, it’s the doughnuts. Either way – after being diagnosed with food sensitivities that are key to traditional doughnut making, we were on a search for a recipe that wowed us all. There were multiple failures resulting in a cake so dense it was much closer to a bread than a pastry. This recipe, however, is light, chewy and full of flavor. You’ll be surprised it isn’t full of gluten, dairy and egg.

I will not pretend this is a health food… but in moderation, it is good! We tend to eat doughnuts as deserts or treat, rather than breakfast. Enjoy!

Line two cookie sheets with parchment or wax paper and dust with rice flour.
Use a pastry bag or cut ½ opening in the bottom corner of a plastic sandwich bag and pipe doughnut shaped circle onto parchment paper and let proof for 20 minutes in a warm spot. I like to turn my oven to warm for while I’m making to batter then flip it off just as I put the doughnuts in to proof.

In a deep skillet or electric fryer, heat oil over medium heat until oil reaches 350 degrees. Gently add one doughnut at a time, no more than two in the oil at once. Adding more will drop the temp to fast and stop the frying process leaving you with oil soaked doughnuts – yuck! Cook 2-3 minutes per side or until golden brown, turning over with a fork. Remove to a paper towel lined plate or a drying rack. While the doughnut is still warm dip in glaze, coating both sides.

Melt the butter in a medium sauce pan. Add powdered sugar and vanilla extract to the sauce pan. Slowly add almond milk and stir adding additional milk till desired consistency is reached. If you prefer, water can be substituted for almond milk.